Broadband control of polarization mode dispersion

A system for compensating polarization mode dispersion (PMD) in an optical communications system having a broadband PMD compensator adapted to impose a wavelength-dependent differential phase delay of optical signal traffic, the system comprising:

• a controller adapted to control the broadband PMD compensator to independently control a differential group delay at each one of a plurality of selected wavelengths, at least one of the selected wavelengths lying between an adjacent pair of channel wavelengths of the optical communications system.

An optical device for wavelength-dependent compensation of Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) communications system, the optical device comprising:

• a first optical element adapted to impose a wavelength-dependent rotation of the polarization angle of light traversing the first optical element;
• and
• a second optical element adapted to retard light traversing the second optical element as a function of polarization angle, the second optical element being connected to receive light from the first optical element.

A method of compensating polarization mode dispersion (PMD) in an optical communications system having a broadband PMD compensator for imposing a wavelength-dependent differential phase delay of optical signal traffic, the method comprising steps of:

• controlling a first optical element of the broadband PMD compensator to impose a desired angular separation of light traversing the broadband PMD compensator;
• and
• controlling a second optical element to retard light traversing the second optical element as a function of polarization angle, the second optical element being connected to receive light from the first optical clement.